Automatic bundle-carrier for harvesters.



Patented'8ept 9, I902. I W. MARTENS.

AuromAnc- BUNDLE CARRIER FOB HARVESTEBS.

(Application filed May 21, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 708,776. Patented Sept. 9, I902. I w. MARTENS.

AUTOMATIC BUNDLE CARRIER FDR'HARVESTERS.

' "Application flied May 21, 1900.) (No Modal.)

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No. 7D8,776. Patented Sept. 9, 1902 W. MARTENS.

AUTOMATIC BUNDLE CARRIER FDR HARVEST'ERS.

lApplication filed May 21, 1900.)

3 Sheets- Sheet 3v (No Model.)

[ICU 716.5565:

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM MARTENS,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF AOKLEY, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC BUNDLE-CARRIER FOR HARVESTERSL SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 708,776 dated September 9, 1902.

Application filed May 21, 1900.

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MARTENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ackley, in the county of Hardin and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Automatic Bundle-Carrier for Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for receiving, carrying, and dropping a number of bundles or sheaves of bound grain in the advancement of a harvester or self-binder.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in'the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the complete attachment and such portions of a harvester-frame as are necessary to support the attachment. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the complete device. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the machine, showing the relative positions of the different parts. Fig. 4 is a perspective View that shows a detachable connection between the bundle-carrier and means for operating the bundle-carrier as required to dump a collection of bundles therefrom.

In the construction of the machine the nu meral 10 designates a portion of a harvesterframe, and 11 an arm fixed'to said frame and extended horizontally laterally therefrom. The arm 11 is provided .with'a socket 12 on its outer end, and an arm 13 is connected with said socket by means of a pin 14 or in any suitable way.

A bundle-carrier 15, formed of a skeleton frame or fork that has a plurality of flat tines and a side bar or guard 16, located above and attached to said frame or fork, is hinged to the upper face of the outer portion of the bar 13 and normally occupies an approximately horizontal position with the rear end of the frame. Beneath the end of What may be termed the end of the handle 25 of the fork or frame of the bundle-carrier is a bar 17, and its ends extend vertically to serve as standards 18 and 19 to support a rock-shaft 20, mounted in their upper end portions, and a crank-arm 21 extends rearwardly from said rock-shaft, and a retractile coil-spring 22 is connected to said arm and to said cross-barin Serial No. 17,357. (No model.)

any suitable way in such a manner that it will normally retain the bundle-carrier in horizontal position. An arm 24 is fixed to and extends downward from thecentral portion of the rock-shaft 20. The handle or arm 25 of the fork or skeleton frame of the bundle-carrier 15 is arranged to be engaged by the free end of the arm 24 on the rock-shaft and temporarily holds the bundle carrier against rearward tilting or oscillation. A crank-arm 26 is formed on and extends laterally from the outer end of the rock-shaft 20, and a link 27 is pivoted at its upper end to the extremity of said crank-arm and depends therefrom. The lower portion of the link 27 is provided with two or more apertures 28. A plate 29 is connected to the standard 18, and a standard 30 is fixed to the outer end of said plate and extends upwardly therefrom in a plane slightly in front of the transverse plane of the standards 18 and 19, and said standard 30 is provided with two or more apertures 31. A lever 32 is pivoted to the top of the standard 30 by means of a bolt 33. The inner end of the lever 32 is shaped and arranged for insertion in one or another of the apertures 28 in the lower end portion of the link 27 and is preferably offset downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and a roller 34, preferably made of sheet metal in cylindrical form, is mounted for revolution on the outer end of said lever and designed to roll upon the surface of the ground over which the harvester is'advanced. The lever 32 is connected flexibly by a brace 35 with the outer endportion of the arm 13.

A crank-shaft 36 is mounted for rotation in bearings fixed to a harvester-frame, and a sprocket-wheel 37 is fixed to one end portion of said shaft and connected, by means of a chain 38, to a sprocket-wheel (not shown) rigidly mounted on a counter-shaft 40, that is arranged for rotation in bearings depending from the harvester-frame. A spider or starwheel 41 is mounted rigidly on the shaft 40 v and is formed with a plurality of teeth,- in this instance five, projecting through the plate 42 or harvester-frame. A wheel 43 is mounted on the spider or star-wheel 41 and is formed with peripheral notches, in this instance five in number, arranged to be successively engaged by a spring 44, fixed to the plate 42.

A clearer-bar 45 is mounted for rotation in standards 46 47, rising from the plate 42, and is provided with teeth 48 49, arranged to receive and deliver successively bundles or sheaves of bound grain from the plate 42 to the bundle-carrier 15. An arm is fixed to and extends laterally from the bar 45 and is faced by a spring-plate 51, arranged to engage successively teeth of the spider or starwheel in the rotation of the clearer-bar. A trigger or lever 52 is fulcrumed on a bracket 53, fixed to the plate 42, and the inner end thereof extends within the orbit or travel of the crank 36 of the crank-shaft 36. The outer end of the lever 52 carries a link 54, arranged for detachable and pivotal connection to a crank 55, formed on and extending laterally from the rock-shaft 20. In Figs. 1 and 3 the crank extends horizontally and is dis connected from the link 54, and in Fig. 2 it extends downward. Dotted lines in Fig. 1 indicate how the link 54 may be detachably connected with the crank 55. The clearerbar is geared to and driven by the traction mechanism of the harvester in any desirable and convenient manner and is revolved in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 2. In the advancement of the'harvester and the first trip around a field of grain the lever 32 is disconnected from the link 27. In the advancement of the harvester and consequent rotation of the clearer-bar 45 the arm 50 engages, by means of its spring-plate 51, once during each revolution thereof with one of the teeth of the spider or star-Wheel 41 and revolves said spider or star-Wheel to the point where the orbits or travel of the Wheel and arm diverge, and coincident with this rotation of the star-wheel a fraction of a revolution a sheaf or bundle of bound grain is swept off the plate 42 by the arms or teeth 48 49 and upon the bundle-carrier 15. Successive bundles of grain are delivered in like manner, and the star-wheel is successively revolved and in turn revolves the crank-shaft 36 until four bundles have been deposited upon the carrier 15. Upon the next operation of the clearer-bar and the delivery of the fifth bundle upon the carrier the crank 36 on the crank-shaft 36 engages the inner end of the lever 52 and oscillates said lever. In the oscillation of the lever 52 the rock-shaft 20 is rotated,through the medium of the crank 55 and link 54, to the release of the crank-arm 24 from the arm 25 of the bundle-carrier. Upon the release of the arm 24 from the arm 25 of the bundle-carrier said bundle-carrier tilts rearwardly and deposits its five bundles in one place or in close contiguity upon the ground. In the further rotation of the crankshaft 36 the crank 36 thereof travels beyond the inner end of the lever 52 and releases said lever at such a time as to permit the reestablishment of the bundle-carrierin the first position by a reverse movement of the rock shaft 20, caused by the resilience of the retractilo coil-spring 22. Immediately after the restablishment of the bundle-carrier the sixth bundle, or the first of the succeeding series of bundles, is deposited on the carrier, and thus is the device operated successively in the advancement of the machine around or across the field. In the second course of the machine around the field the link 54 is detached from the crank 55 and the link 27 attached to the lever 32. Now in the advancement of the machine the roller 34 rides upon two or more of the bundles previously deposited upon the ground and is elevated thereby at regular intervals, with the result that the rock-shaft 20 is oscillated, through the medium of the lever 32, link 27, and crank 26, to the end that the bundle-carrier is tilted rearwardly, and the bundle thereon deposited is in alineinent and close contiguity to the bundles previously deposited therefrom. When it is desired to raise the harvester to cut a less length of straw or on account of the uneven surface of the ground, the lever 32 may be adjusted on its standard 30 and the end portion of said lever adjusted in the link 27 to correspond with the elevation of the harvester. Thus is provision made for depositing the bundles in windrows across the field and in convenient position for collection or gathering upon Wagons or into shocks. It is the function of the spring 44 to engage successively in the notches of the Wheel 43 and prevent reverse movement of the starwheel and the counter-shaft on which said wheel is mounted.

Having thus described the construction, functions, and arrangement and combination of all the elements, the practical operation and utility of my invention will be understood by persons familiar with the art to which it pertains, and

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bundle-carrier for harvesters, a frame adapted to be fixed to a harvester, a bundle-carrier pivotally connected to said frame, a lever extended stubbleward from the bundle-carrier having a traveler on its end adapted for running on the ground and trip mechanism for detachably connecting the lever with the pivoted bundle-carrier, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth.

2. A frame forsupportinga bundle-carrier, a bundle-carrier pivoted to the frame, a rockshaft mounted on the frame an arm extending from the rock-shaft for holding the bundle-carrier,a lever extended stubbleward from the bundle-carrier, an arm on the end of the rock-shaft connected with said lever, and a traveler adapted for Erunning on the ground on the free end of the lever, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

3. A frame for supporting a bundle-carrier, a bundle-carrier pivoted to the frame and provided with an arm, a rock-shaft mounted on the frame and provided with an arm for engaging the arm of the bundle-carrier, an arm on the end of the rock-shaft, a lever extend attaching the trigger to said rock-shaft, the

crank-shaft formed with a crank arranged to engage said trigger, the lever connected with a crank on the end of the rock-shaft projecting stubbleward and provided with a traveler on its free end town on the ground, the counter-shaft, the star-wheel thereon, the clearer-bar arranged for rotation, the arm on the clearer-bar arranged for engagement with successive teeth of the star-wheel and the sprocket-wheel and chain connection between the crank-shaft and counter-shaft, arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

5.In a device of the class described the rock-shaft, means for oscillating said rockshaft in one direction, the crank-arm on said rock-shaft, the bundle-carrier arranged for tilting, the arm on the bundle-carrier and arranged to be engaged by the crank-arm on the rock-shaft, the retractile coil-spring attached to the rock-shaft and means for securing said spring whereby the rock-shaft may be returned to a given position.

WILLIAM MARTENS.

Witnesses:

FRANK NEUMAN, S. S. TRAINER. 

